Kat's Book Review: An Evil Mind by Chris Carter (Robert Hunter #6)

Synopsis: A freak accident in rural Wyoming leads the Sheriff's Department to arrest a man for a possible double homicide, but further investigations suggest a much more horrifying discovery - a serial killer who has been kidnapping, torturing and mutilating victims all over the United States for at least twenty-five years. The suspect claims he is a pawn in a huge labyrinth of lies and deception - can he be believed? The case is immediately handed over to the FBI, but this time they're forced to ask for outside help. Ex-criminal behaviour psychologist and lead Detective with the Ultra-Violent Crime Unit of the LAPD, Robert Hunter, is asked to run a series of interviews with the apprehended man. These interviews begin to reveal terrifying secrets that no one could've foreseen, including the real identity of a killer so elusive that no one, not even the FBI, had any idea he existed ...until now

Kat's Review: Robert Hunter is back, only this time his partner Carlos Garcia is missing and Robert is on his way to Hawaii for a much needed break. The series featuring Hunter and Garcia is now onto it 6th book and the previous 5 have seen Robert and Garcia go through the mill, so although I realised from the synopsis Garcia wouldn’t be around I wondered how much of an impact it would have on the current book. Thankfully it seems like it had little impact on the actual book or sheer writing skills, but as a reader I confess I missed him.

As usual Carter pulls no punches when throwing the reader into the dark and frankly disturbing world of killers. A rather vile accidental discovery means that Hunter is pulled from his trip and into a rather surreal situation. It seems that Hunter is the only man for the job and we see quite early on a link to his past which is always nice as it adds to what you already know about the character.

I had no clue how the story would play out, and had rather conflicting feelings on it all for a while. However with sheer finesse the reader realises that the game has begun. Although there are many thousands of talented writers in this genre out there, sometimes certain authors will stick in your mind. Chris Carter is one of those authors for me. Firstly there is nothing to dislike about the characters and his talent for transporting you so you are literally breathing down the necks of this guys is pretty amazing. Many of his books have a very creepy feel to them, and I’m almost certain that this is credited to Chris real life previous career experience (a criminal psychologist).

There was certainly tension galore as the stakes for the dreaded game are upped with each step that arises. I had no clue how things would pan out and thoroughly loved every single page of this book. I would strongly recommend that if you haven’t already read Chris Carter that you give him a try. I can only hope that we see the return of Garcia as Hunter doesn’t feel quite the same without him.